Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a movable or fixed patient positioning table having a transfer plate that can be reversibly transferred from the patient positioning table to a table associated with an imaging modality.
Description of the Prior Art
As part of surgical treatment of a sedated or anesthetized patient, it is often necessary before, during and after the procedure during which the patient lies on a special treatment table, to transfer the patient to an imaging modality, in particular a magnetic resonance scanner, in order to acquire images that are used for preparing or monitoring the treatment. This transfer takes place by means of a movable or fixed patient positioning table having a transfer plate that can be reversibly transferred from the patient positioning table to the table where the surgical procedure takes place, and from which it can also be transferred to the table associated with the imaging modality. A plate changeover therefore takes place. Once the mechanical securing device has been released, the transfer plate is moved horizontally from a secure position on the respective table or patient positioning table, with the transfer positions or interfaces being designed such that the transfer plate can be moved and therefore transferred horizontally as smoothly as possible.
An example of a treatment requiring image monitoring is a neurosurgical procedure. During the procedure, the patient lies on the transfer plate that is disposed on the neurosurgical operating table. The patient's head is fixed in a head immobilizing fixture that is provided on the transfer plate. For surgery monitoring, the transfer plate is transferred from the operating table to the patient positioning table, which is then moved to the table of the magnetic resonance system where the transfer plate is transferred again. After image acquisition, the transfer plate is transferred back onto the patient positioning table and, if necessary, returned to the operating table. Another treatment example is catheter ablation, which is frequently performed under X-ray control. During the ablation process the transfer plate is disposed on the table of a C-arm X-ray machine. The guiding of the catheter can be tracked as part of the X-ray monitoring. To check the ablation success, the transfer plate is transferred again to the patient positioning table and from there to the table of the imaging modality, i.e. the MR scanner, for example, where the relevant images are then acquired.
Different transfer plates are required for the respective procedure. Whereas a neurosurgical procedure requires a transfer plate having a head immobilizing fixture in which the patient's head can be immobilized, other surgical procedures require a transfer plate having a headrest on which the patient's head is merely supported. This means in practice that, depending on a given treatment objective or depending on a given treatment modality and imaging modality between which a transfer plate changeover is to take place via the patient positioning table, a specific transfer plate has to be used or held available.